The State Board of Education voted Friday to put a set of proposed science standards out for public comment.
The standards were developed by a committee of teachers, parents and others over the past year. They are based on the controversial Next Generation Science Standards, whose treatment of climate change raised the ire of lawmakers.
State Board Chairman Pete Gosar says the committee tweaked the standards to be less explicit about human-caused climate change.
“That’s why I really like these science standards, because it’s about discovery,” says Gosar. “It’s saying, if you believe in climate science, what’s your hypothesis? And if you don’t believe in climate science, what’s your hypothesis? And did you find out what you thought—or was it something different? That’s how science works.
The State Board will also host 5 public meetings around the state in the months ahead.
You can read the proposed standards at the Wyoming Department of Educationwebsite. Soon, you'll be able provide public comment there also.